Sanju Samson's opening slot not guaranteed!! Suryakumar Yadav sends shockwaves

India's T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, is facing the sweet headache of having an abundance of talented players in the ranks after leading the team to a 3-1 T20I series win in South Africa on Friday (November 15).

With a wealth of talent vying for spots in India’s T20I squad, the captain admitted the challenges and opportunities posed by the current crop of players. Sanju Samson's blazing form has become a hot topic among the cricket fraternity.

Suryakumar Yadav faces 'sweet headache' with overflowing talent pool

Sanju Samson has been a revelation at the top of the order in the shortest format of the game ever since he has been stepping in for regular openers Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has already smashed three centuries in his last five T20I outings for the Men in Blue.

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Sanju Samson's consistency and flair have ignited debates about the future combination of the Indian T20I lineup, especially with marquee tournaments like the T20 World Cup 2026 on the horizon. However, Suryakumar Yadav prefers to keep his focus on the present.

After clinching the T20I series in South Africa, the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has emphasized that decisions on team combinations would be addressed in due time after consultation with the coaches, selectors, and the BCCI.

Sanju Samson’s blazing form fuels T20I selection dilemma

Questions have been raised about Samson’s role in the T20I side, especially when Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal return and Suryakumar acknowledged the challenges of trimming down a squad of 20-25 talented players to 15, but he feels it’s a sign of the team's depth and strength.

Suryakumar Yadav was quoted as saying by India Today: “I have not thought about that far away. I like to live in the moment, enjoying the series win right now. When we sit down with the coaches, it will be difficult, but it is a good headache to have. If you have 20-25 people and you have to make a team of 10-15 players, it is going to be a challenge, but thankfully I have the BCCI and the selectors for that headache.”

The Indian captain further added, “Even before the World Cup, we played a few T20 tournaments, and we spoke about what type of cricket we want to play going forward. We play for different franchises in the IPL, but when we come together, I think we want to do the same thing we do for our franchise.”

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Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Arshdeep Singh shine bright in the 3rd T20I

It was India’s last T20I series in 2024, and they will next play a T20I match in 2025 against England. Speaking about the final T20I against South Africa, Sanju Samson (109*) and Tilak Varma (120*) both have smashed unbeaten centuries to take India to a mammoth 283/1 on the board.

Later, Arshdeep Singh’s three-wicket haul helped India to restrict South Africa to mere 148 runs, finishing off the year with a massive 135-run win to clinch the four-match T20I series 3-1. Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel have also each contributed two wickets in the massive win over the Proteas side.